Why Do Swimmers Eat So Much?

Eating after swimming.

If you’re like me, you took special note when stories about the diet of American Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps came to light – he apparently can eat some 10,000 calories in a day when he’s training, including fried egg sandwiches. How does someone who eats so much look so good? Many people are eager to point out how young Phelps is, but the success of Dana Torres, a swimmer in her 40′s, should have us asking: why do swimmers eat so much?

Quite simply, it’s a matter of calories in versus calories out. Swimmers train for some five to six hours a day at times at the Olympic level, and this means they’re burning a lot of calories in those days. In order to replace those calories and not burn away too much extra muscle, swimmers have to replace the calories.

Because there are more calories in a gram of fat than there are in a gram of protein or carbohydrates, it makes sense that eating fattening foods can actually work to a swimmer’s benefit. With a high-exercise training regimen, these fats are often simply burned away the next day anyhow.

Swimming is a high-calorie exercise that involves a lot of muscles. Running burns a lot of calories, but swimming a mile is much harder than even running a mile. If you’ve ever been running a lot, you know how much your appetite can be stimulated. Well, imagine swimming that much!

It’s important to remember that just because a swimmer can eat a lot doesn’t mean that you can have whatever your heart desires simply because you had a thirty-minute dip in the pool. You have to work with your body, understand approximately how many calories you are burning, and listen to your appetite in order to understand what you need to eat, and how much of it. Your body can be very good at telling you what needs to be consumed, just don’t go overboard with your appetite.

Can you get away with being thin and eating a lot? Of course; we see it all the time. But it can require a lot of exercise to maintain that weight. If you’re interested in swimming because of all the food, ask yourself if that’s what you really want. Before starting these kinds of programs, make sure to consult with your doctor to learn what’s really best for you.

Photo Credits: Jonf728

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Originally posted 2009-10-28 03:33:12.

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